Manicuring device



April 7, 1959 J. w. TONE vETAL 2,880,737

MANICURING DEVICE Filed April 27, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 7, 1959 J.w. TONE ET AL 2,880,737 v MANICURING DEVICE l Filed April 27, 1956 2Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent O MANICURING DEVICE John W. Tone,Roslyn Heights, and Lawrence I'. Freedman, Flushing, N.Y.

Application April 27, 1956, Serial No. 581,062

This invention relates to electric manicuring devices and the like, andmore in particular to an. electric motor unit which is adapted toperform certain operations such as tiling and manicuring finger nails.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved tool construction.A further object is to provide an improved manicuring device. A furtherobject is to provide devices of the above character which are simple inconstruction, inexpensive to manufacture and maintain, light in weightand adaptable for varying conditions of operation and use. These andother objects will be in|` part obvious and in part pointed out below.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the unit of Figure 3;

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the tool of Figure l;

Figure 4 is an enlarged view of the right-hand portion of Figure 3 withparts broken away;

Figure 5 is a top view of the structure of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a view of the emery board used on the tool;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary view of the oscillating and cam assembly;

Figure 8 is a sectional view on the line 8--8 of Figure 4;

Figures 9 and l0 are sectional views respectively on the lines 9-9 and10-10 of Figure 2;

Figure 1l is an enlarged sectional view on the line 11-11 of Figure 7;

Figure 12 is an enlarged view of the right-hand portion of Figure 4;and,

Figure 13 is a side elevation of the nger supporting device of Figure l.

Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings, a manicuring tool 2 is supportedin the right-hand of an operator while a finger being manicured is beingrested in a finger-supporting unit 4. The construction of unit 4 isshown best in Figure 13 and comprises a solid somewhat conical base 6which has a vertical central bore 8 in which the spindle of a cradle 12is positioned. Cradle 12 presents a somewhat semi-cylindrical supportingsurface 14 upon which the nger rests, and the cradle may then be rotatedso as to turn the finger around the vertical axis of the cradle. It hasbeen found that this materially simplifies the manicuring operationbecause the operator can hold the tool somewhat stationary and turn thenger in the cradle during the manicuring operations.

Referring again to Figure l, tool 2 has a casing construction formed byshells 16 and 18. An electric wire 20 for the supply current extendsinto and is clamped in an opening in the end of the shell at 22.Projecting from the opposite end of the shell is the oscillating unit 24which is oscillated longitudinally in a manner discussed more fullybelow (see also Figure 2) by a motor 28 and gear cam assembly 27. Acontrol switch 26 may be moved by the operator to turn the motor o andon. Motor 28 is rigidly mounted in an internal frame con- 2,880,737Patented Apr. 7, 1959 ICC struction 30 and has a shaft 32 journaled inbearings 29 and 31, as shown. Shaft 32 extends to the gear-cam assembly27 which has a worm gear 34 which drives a gear 36 at considerablyreduced speed, and the gear is keyed to its shaft 38 (see also Figure10). The shaft is journaled at its ends in bearings 33 and 35 integralwith the frame construction 30.

Shaft 38 also has keyed to it a cam 40 (see Figure 7) and, mounted atthe side of the cam is a cam follower portion 42 of the oscillating unit24. Cam follower p01'- tion 42 has a pair of integral anges 44 whichextend along opposite sides ofthe cam so that the cam is movablyreceived between them. Oscillating unit 24 has a pair of reinforcinganges 45 and 46 which form channels 47 and 49. When operating, the unitis slidably mounted by a pair of plastic slidesl48 and 50 (see Figurell) which are molded around these channels so as to be rigidly attachedto the unit. As shown in Figure 2, these slides are positioned in a pairof slideways 52 and 54 in the frame construction 30. Hence, when themotor is operated, shaft 32 turns gear 34 which turns gear 36', shaft 38and cam 40. The rotation of the cam operates through the llanges 44 tooscillate the unit 24 back and forth, and the full throw of the cam unitis guided and supported by the slides 48 and 50. That is, in Figure 2,the unit 24 is shown at the extreme right-hand end of an oscillation andit has been projected to that position by the ange 44 on the right-handside of the cam. However, it is held from moving beyond this position bythe similar flange 44 on the left-hand side of the cam (see also Figure7). As the cam continues to move, the slides hold the oscillating unitin exact alignment, and the cam pushes against the flange 44 at the leftso that the unit moves to the left. At the end of this movement, the camcontinues and moves the unit back to the position of Figure 2.

The projecting end of unit 24 is formed by a pair of nesting channels orshells 56 and 58. The outer shell 56 is an extension of channel 49 andis integral with the cam follower portion 42. Referring to Figure 4, atthe left-hand end of shell 5S, there is an integral tab 60 to which atension spring 62 is attached. The opposite end of this spring isattached to a similar tab 64 which extends from a slide 66 mounted uponthe right-hand end of shell 56. At the right-hand end of shell 58, thereare two tabs 68 (see also Figure 8) which extend into inter-engagingrelationship with similar tabs 70 upon shell 56. That is, when theelements are positioned as shown in Figure 4, spring 62 urges shell 58to the right, but the shell is held by the inter-engagement of tabs 68and 70.

Shell 53 has an extension 72 at the right which carries at its end arubber cuticle pusher or tab 74. During the use of this tool, theoperator moves the pusher or tab 74 against the cuticle so that theoscillating movement tends to push the cuticle back. However, as shownbest in Figure 4, the shell 58 is not positively driven to the right,but is merely urged to the right by the spring 62. Hence, the force ofmovement of the cuticle pusher or tab is only that of the force ofspring 62. Therefore, as unit 24 moves to the right, it moves the shell58 with it except where the pusher or tab 74 encounters an obstructionsuch as the cuticle, in which case the movement of the shell 58 isrestrained and is under the urging action of spring 62.

At the left-hand end of shell 56, there is a tab 76 which is punched outfrom the plane of the shell wall, but is generally parallel thereto.Slide 66 has a similar tab 78, and the slide is slidably mounted in aslot 80 and is held in position by three pairs of tabs S2, 84, and 86.Tabs 82 and 86 extend above the top of shell 56, and tabs 8d extendbeneath the top wall of this shell. The slide is then urged to the leftto the-position shown in Figures 4 and 5 by spring 62 which has beendiscussed above. Positioned beneath tabs 76 and 78 is an emery board ornail board 88, shown best in Figure 6. Board 88 has a pair of slots 90in its ends, into which the tabs 76 and 78 are snugly received. When aboard 88 is to be replaced, slide 66 is moved to the right to theposition shown in Figure 12, so that the adjacent end of the board 88may be lifted, and the board then withdrawn from under tab 76 (Figure4). The new board is replaced by a reverse operation.

The operation of the motor to produce the oscillation of unit 24 hasbeen discussed above. When the operator desires to file a nail, thefinger is placed in the cradle, as illustrated in Figure l, and theiinger may be rotated through an arc, with the oscillating emery boardheld against the portion of the nail which is to be tiled. Similarly,when the cuticle is to be pushed back, the pusher or tab 74 is movedagainst the cuticle, with the finger held in the cradle and moved asindicated. It is thus seen that a tool is provided which is versatile inuse and which, in fact, may be adapted for various functions and modesof operation. The tool is light in weight, sturdy, and it has certainstability by virtue of the rotation of the motor and its shaftlongitudinally of the tool.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the mechanical features ofthe above invention and as the art herein described might be varied invarious parts, all without departing from the scope of the invention, itis to be understood that all matter hereinabove set forth, or'shown inthe accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and notin a limiting sense.

We claim:

1. In a tool of the character described for performing manicuringoperations, the combination of, a shell and frame construction ofgenerally longitudinal dimensions, a motor enclosed within said shelland frame construction and having its shaft extending substantiallylongitudinally thereof, an oscillating unit operatively conl nected tosaid motor and including a pair of nested shells which are resilientlyheld together and a cuticle pusher mounted upon one of said shells.

2. Apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein said shells haveinter-engaging tabs which limit the movement of the shells, and atension spring which urges said tabs together against each other.

3. Apparatus as described in claim 2, wherein one of said shellsincludes a pair of tabs to receive an emery board therebetween, one ofsaid tabs being fixed and the other being movable for replacing theemery board.

4. In a tool of the character described, the combina tion of, a shell, aframe within said shell, a motor mounted within said frame and having adriven shaft, a gear reduction unit including a gear fixed to said shaftand a driven gear, a cam connected to said driven gear, a cam followerslidably mounted to be oscillated by rotation of said cam, and aprojecting unit connected to said cam follower and adapted to beoscillated therewith, said projecting unit including a longitudinalmember and a sliding member mounted thereon and resiliently connectedthereto.

5. A tool as described in claim 4, wherein said sliding member istelescopically connected with said longitudinal member and has a cuticlepusher mounted therein, and a tension spring providing the resilientconnection between said longitudinal member and said sliding member.

6. A tool as described in claim 5, which includes a sliding holdingmember mounted upon said longitudinal member at the end remote from saidcam follower, said spring being mechanically connected to saidlongitudinal member by means of said holding member.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,810,701 Foerster June 16, 1931 1,831,327 Surdock Nov. 10, 19311,892,867 Burr Jan. 3, 1933 2,131,628 Kohl Sept. 27, 1938

